This past March, several students in Skyline’s theatre program competed against other schools in the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) Drama Competition. Each student performed a monologue, scene, song, or pantomime, and the Seniors also performed a one-act play, Kodachrome. Prior to the competition, the students showcased their work in Wasatch Junior High’s auditorium, giving their friends and family the opportunity to see it as well.
At the regional competition, several Skyline performances did very well. Skyline students made it to the top eight in three out of six categories, and many of them were able to move on to the state competition, including three pantomimes, all of the musical theatre pieces, and all of the humorous monologues. All three classical scenes advanced to medals, with Serenity Kunz and Gray Miller placing second, and Sevilla Devries and Mina Springmeyer placing third. Finally, in the dramatic monologue section, Aidan Stephen got first, while Garrett Nelson and Olivia Call both advanced to medals as well.
The students continued to do well at the state competition, and the school placed fourth sweepstakes. The one-act got fifth place, and two other acts—a scene by Sevilla Devries and Mina Springmeyer, and a monologue by Garrett Nelson—moved on to medals. Nelson, who performed a monologue that he wrote himself, placed second in dramatic monologue.
At the individual events competition, students would perform for judges in three rounds and would be given a score from each judge. The sum of these scores would determine their final ranking.
Pearl Anzures, a Freshman, performed a pantomime, which is a theatrical performance without dialogue, portrayed solely through gestures and movement. Hers portrayed a short story, following a thief, who breaks into a large house and is trapped inside. She then discovers a vampire asleep within the house, who bites her and turns her into a vampire as well.
Two Juniors, Cal Tabet and Lilian Dmitrieva, performed a classical scene: the first scene of Antigone by Sophocles. A classical scene is defined as anything written before the year 1900. The scene follows Antigone, who tries to convince her sister, Ismene, to aid her in burying their brother after his death. Ismene does not agree to help, because their uncle has forbidden anybody from doing so.
“We’re doing well in terms of performance,” Tabet explains, in regards to the scene they performed, “but we’re also doing a scene that’s more well known, so we have higher expectations than other groups.”
“There’s something very unique about doing theatre for competition, because when you’re doing theatre for a play or a musical… it’s all positivity,” Tabet says. “But going to competition… you’re under a lot of pressure, and it makes you improve in a lot of ways.” They explained that the experience of being judged in competition is very different from typical experiences in school drama.
Anzures reflects, “It puts you out there, and gives you feedback for future experiences.”
